😈 A bad double 📶 Fake Wi-Fi

evil twin

8.1

A fake Wi-Fi network that copies a real one to steal data

noun
/ˈiːvəl twɪn/

Jargon

: punto de acceso falso

If you see a Wi-Fi network named similarly to a legitimate one, it might be an evil twin trying to trick you into connecting.

Examples

In fact, the CIA had become the evil twin of liberalism itself.

Academic text (2009)
When users unknowingly connect to an evil twin, their personal data can be easily intercepted by hackers.
An evil twin is a malicious hotspot that imitates a legitimate Wi-Fi network to steal sensitive information.

Surface Forms

evil twin singular

evil twins plural

Morphology

evil + twin

The compound literally combines 'evil' (harmful) + 'twin' (a duplicate or counterpart), so a learner can infer a harmful or malicious counterpart — the general idea of a 'bad duplicate' is accessible. However, the precise technical meaning (a rogue Wi‑Fi access point that mimics a network to intercept data) is specialized and not directly predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Evil twin is a term in computer security that imagines a twin of a real Wi‑Fi that is evil. That 'fake' network 'tricks' people into connecting so a bad person can see or steal their data, so it is called an evil twin.